Dallas was more than 1,500 miles away from New York Fashion Week, which took place Sept. 8-15, but North Texas creatives certainly made their presences known.
Binzario Couture, a Dallas fashion house specializing in bridal gowns and formal wear, debuted its Spring/Summer 2017 “Daydream” collection at The Fitzgerald Ballroom. The 20-piece collection showcased designer duo Luis Nazario and Andre Yarbin’s embroidery, detailing and construction.
The pair says they kept the “modern woman” at the forefront of their minds as they set out to make the collection. While the structure and cut of the pieces — everything from evening gowns to jumpsuits — was clearly modern, they also held true to Binzario's reputation for romantic and feminine looks, with shades that included soft pastels and golds.
Binzario Couture wasn't Dallas' only one busy during the week of events.
Melody Hernandez, a student at the Art Institute of Dallas, was one of nine student designers selected to show their collections at The Art Institute's Spring 2017 Collections show held at the Skylight At Moynihan Station. “To have your collection walk down the runway where many fashion icons and legends have been featured was mind blowing,” Hernandez says.
For her collection, “Take A Break,” Hernandez sought to mix runway and street-style aesthetics by pairing patterns and fabrics in unusual ways.
While Charles Smith II, the creative director behind streetwear brand SMITH II, wasn’t in New York to debut his Spring/Summer 2017 collection — he’ll be doing that Oct. 2 at the Dallas Contemporary — he was busy at New York Fashion Week nonetheless.
Smith attended runway presentations by Kanye West, Tom Browne, Alexander Wang and Prabul Gurung, fought to acquire the top looks for his personal shopping clients in Dallas and met with out-of-state SMITH II clients.
Fashion and editorial photographer Yesi Sukilynn Fortuna, whose client list has included Carolina Herrera and Essence magazine, also spent the week in New York. “The truth is that the best thing about Fashion Week is that everyone you know is all gathered in one area that is just a taxi or train ride away,” Fortuna says. She split her time between covering shows, including backstage action, and shooting street-style looks for personal clients.
James Duran, creative director of contemporary menswear line BLKLN, who has attended all three seasons of men’s week shows, was unable to make the journey out to New York last week, but BLKLN’s blog was one of the only Dallas fashion sites to send a contributor and provide continual coverage of the women’s week, including shows by designers such as Timo Weiland and other high-profile parties.
As Dallas’ influence and relevance in the fashion world continues to grow, we are sure to hear dispatches from even more Dallas creatives during future seasons of New York Fashion Week.